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Trip Report    

Whitewater Packraft - Sauk River: Bedal Campground to White Chuck River

Our group spent the day on the Sauk River, putting in at Bedal and paddling 8.6 miles downriver to White Chuck campground just below the confluence with the White Chuck River. Active whitewater, wood hazards and swift water made this a challenging and entertaining trip.

Robert Kaye Robert Kaye
May 05, 2025
  • Road suitable for all vehicles

  • Things to know about the route

    • Route information can be found on the Mountaineers website and American Whitewater. Predicted flow information is available via the NOAA NW Water Prediction page. 
    • American Whitewater accurately describes this stretch as: “A good beginner run but be sure to go with experienced paddlers and make sure you have good boat control skills. Wood hazards can be significant and may require some precise maneuvering. This run is also one of the most scenic trips through Mt. Baker - Snoqualmie National Forest, flowing through majestic riparian forests in a beautiful river valley–it stands out as a true gem of the Wild and Scenic River system.”
    • This trip was originally scheduled for the Skykomish, but relocated to the Sauk due to high flows on that river and many others in the area. Predicted flows on the Sauk were 1940 CFS, in the low runnable range of 1,000 to 5,000 CFS. This was an excellent flow level to run this stretch. 

    Challenges along the way

    • Most of the rapids are in the first four miles and are Class II, including significant wave train rapids. They can be challenging, and we had several capsizes and swims, which are normal for this sport. All swims were well controlled. 
    • About four miles down, the river widens and more wood hazards appear. We encountered and portaged several such hazards and scouted blind corners in the last 4+ miles.
    • We knew of a significant existing logjam just before the final rapid, which is visible on satellite photos. Wood hazards are constantly changing and satellite pics cannot substitute for scouting.  
    • The largest rapid is Rocky Road, a Class III at the end of the run near the Mountain Loop Highway bridge. The gauge on river right indicates you are almost to the rapid, which can be scouted from up river by going through a significant wave train rapid and eddying out river left. At this flow there were good lines on river right and center left. Having the downriver view from scouting before the run and the upriver view from the eddy was valuable. 
    • There were plenty of rocks and boulder gardens throughout the run.
  • We had a mix of experienced, new, and intermediate paddlers and paid special attention to boat order and spacing to make sure everyone descended the river safely. 
Sauk group.jpeg
Photo: Andrew Pedersen
  • We made sure to scout blind turns for wood hazards, an essential precaution on this river. 
going around wood obstruction.jpeg
photo: Andrew Pedersen
  • We caught glimpses of snow capped peaks shrouded in clouds and some bird life along the river. I was mostly focused on looking for wood hazards. 
Julie and mountains.jpeg
photo: Andrew Pedersen
  • Several paddlers achieved major milestones, including their first Class III rapid (Rocky Road, which everyone descended successfully). One paddler completed the required experience trip for her whitewater badge and ran her first Class III, which is a badass way to roll. 
  • Bottom line, this is a fun and challenging river in a great setting.